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18 Ah, the land [a]of the rustling of wings, which is beyond the rivers of [b]Ethiopia; that sendeth ambassadors by the sea, [c]even in vessels of papyrus upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation [d]tall and smooth, to a people terrible from their beginning onward, a nation [e]that meteth out and treadeth down, whose land the rivers [f]divide! All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see ye; and when the trumpet is blown, hear ye.

For thus hath Jehovah said unto me, I will be still, and I will behold in my dwelling-place, [g]like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becometh a ripening grape, he will cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, and the spreading branches will he take away and cut down. They shall be left together unto the ravenous birds of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth; and the ravenous birds shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them. In that time shall a present be brought unto Jehovah of hosts from a people [h]tall and smooth, even from a people terrible from their beginning onward, a nation that meteth out and treadeth down, whose land the rivers divide, to the place of the name of Jehovah of hosts, the mount Zion.

19 The [i]burden of Egypt.

Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a swift cloud, and cometh unto Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. And I will [j]stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall [k]fail in the midst of it; and I will [l]destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the [m]charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And I will [n]give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and become dry. And the rivers shall become foul; the [o]streams of [p]Egypt shall be diminished and dried up; the reeds and flags shall wither away. The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile, shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more. And the fishers shall lament, and all they that cast angle into the Nile shall mourn, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. Moreover they that work in combed flax, and they that weave [q]white cloth, shall be confounded. 10 And [r]the [s]pillars of Egypt shall be broken in pieces; all they [t]that work for hire shall be grieved in soul.

11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the counsel of the wisest counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? 12 Where then are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now; and let them know what Jehovah of hosts hath purposed concerning Egypt. 13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Memphis are deceived; they have caused Egypt to go astray, that are the corner-stone of her tribes. 14 Jehovah hath mingled a spirit of perverseness in the midst of her; and they have caused Egypt to go astray in every work thereof, as a drunken man [u]staggereth in his vomit. 15 Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do. 16 In that day shall the Egyptians be like unto women; and they shall tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of Jehovah of hosts, which he shaketh over them. 17 And the land of Judah shall become a terror unto Egypt; [v]every one to whom mention is made thereof shall be afraid, because of the purpose of Jehovah of hosts, which he purposeth against it. 18 In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to Jehovah of hosts; one shall be called The city of [w]destruction.

19 In that day shall there be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to Jehovah. 20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto Jehovah of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto Jehovah because of oppressors, and he will send them a saviour, and [x]a defender, and he will deliver them. 21 And Jehovah shall [y]be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day; yea, they shall worship with sacrifice and oblation, and shall vow a vow unto Jehovah, and shall perform it. 22 And Jehovah will smite Egypt, smiting and healing; and they shall return unto Jehovah, and he will be entreated of them, and will heal them.

23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall worship with the Assyrians.

24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth; 25 for that Jehovah of hosts hath blessed them, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

20 In the year that [z]Tartan came unto Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it; at that time Jehovah spake by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go, and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put thy shoe from off thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. And Jehovah said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot [aa]three years for a sign and a wonder concerning Egypt and concerning [ab]Ethiopia; so shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt, and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. And they shall be dismayed and confounded, because of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory. And the inhabitant of this coast-land shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and we, how shall we escape?

21 The [ac]burden of the wilderness of the sea.

As whirlwinds in the South sweep through, it cometh from the wilderness, from a terrible land. A [ad]grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous man dealeth treacherously, and the destroyer destroyeth. Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof [ae]have I made to cease. Therefore are my loins filled with anguish; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail: I am [af]pained so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see. My heart [ag]fluttereth, horror hath affrighted me; the twilight that I desired hath been turned into trembling unto me. They prepare the table, they [ah]set the watch, they eat, they drink: rise up, ye princes, anoint the shield. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman; let him declare what he seeth: [ai]and when he seeth [aj]a troop, [ak]horsemen in pairs, [al]a troop of asses, [am]a troop of camels, he shall hearken diligently with much heed. And he cried as a lion: O Lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward [an]whole nights; and, behold, here [ao]cometh a troop of men, [ap]horsemen in pairs. And he answered and said, Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.

10 O thou my threshing, and the [aq]grain of my floor! that which I have heard from Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

11 The [ar]burden of Dumah.

One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, [as]what of the night? Watchman, [at]what of the night? 12 The watchman said, The morning [au]cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: [av]turn ye, come.

13 The [aw]burden upon Arabia.

In the [ax]forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye caravans of Dedanites. 14 Unto him that [ay]was thirsty they brought water; [az]the inhabitants of the land of Tema did meet the fugitives with their bread. 15 For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. 16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, all the glory of Kedar shall fail; 17 and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be few; for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath spoken it.

22 The [ba]burden of the valley of vision.

What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops? O thou that art full of shoutings, a tumultuous city, a joyous town; thy slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they dead in battle. All thy rulers fled away together, they were bound [bb]by the archers; all that were found of thee were bound together; [bc]they fled afar off. Therefore said I, Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; [bd]labor not to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

For it is a day of discomfiture, and of treading down, and of perplexity, from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, in the valley of vision; a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the [be]mountains. And Elam bare the quiver, with [bf]chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield. And it came to pass, that thy choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate. And he took away the covering of Judah; and thou didst look in that day to the armor in the house of the forest. And ye saw the breaches of the city of David, that they were many; and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool; 10 and ye numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and ye brake down the houses to fortify the wall; 11 ye made also a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But ye looked not unto [bg]him that had done this, neither had ye respect unto him that purposed it long ago.

12 And in that day did the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: 13 and, behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine: Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die. 14 And Jehovah of hosts revealed himself in mine ears, Surely this iniquity shall not be [bh]forgiven you till ye die, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

15 Thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, Go, get thee unto this [bi]treasurer, even unto Shebna, who is over the house, and say, 16 What doest thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre? hewing him out a sepulchre on high, graving a habitation for himself in the rock! 17 Behold, Jehovah, [bj]like a strong man, will hurl thee away violently; yea, he will [bk]wrap thee up closely. 18 He will surely wind thee round and round, and toss thee like a ball into a large country; there shalt thou die, and there shall be the chariots of thy glory, thou shame of thy lord’s house. 19 And I will thrust thee from thine office; and from thy station shalt thou be pulled down. 20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: 21 and I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a throne of glory to his father’s house. 24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the flagons. 25 In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, shall the nail that was fastened in a sure place give way; and it shall be hewn down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for Jehovah hath spoken it.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:1 Or, shadowing with wings
  2. Isaiah 18:1 Hebrew Cush.
  3. Isaiah 18:2 Or, and
  4. Isaiah 18:2 Or, dragged away and peeled
  5. Isaiah 18:2 Or, meted out and trodden down Hebrew of line, line, and of treading down.
  6. Isaiah 18:2 Or, have despoiled
  7. Isaiah 18:4 Or, when there is
  8. Isaiah 18:7 Or, dragged away and peeled
  9. Isaiah 19:1 Or, oracle concerning
  10. Isaiah 19:2 Or, join together. Or, arm
  11. Isaiah 19:3 Hebrew be emptied.
  12. Isaiah 19:3 Hebrew swallow up.
  13. Isaiah 19:3 Or, whisperers
  14. Isaiah 19:4 Or, shut up
  15. Isaiah 19:6 Or, canals
  16. Isaiah 19:6 Hebrew Mazor.
  17. Isaiah 19:9 Or, cotton
  18. Isaiah 19:10 Hebrew her pillars.
  19. Isaiah 19:10 Or, foundations
  20. Isaiah 19:10 Or, that make dams
  21. Isaiah 19:14 Or, goeth astray
  22. Isaiah 19:17 Or, every one that maketh mention thereof, to him shall they turn in fear
  23. Isaiah 19:18 Or, Heres. Or, according to another reading, the sun
  24. Isaiah 19:20 Or, a mighty one
  25. Isaiah 19:21 Or, make himself known
  26. Isaiah 20:1 The title of the Assyrian commander-in-chief.
  27. Isaiah 20:3 Or, to be for three years a sign etc.
  28. Isaiah 20:3 Hebrew Cush.
  29. Isaiah 21:1 Or, oracle concerning
  30. Isaiah 21:2 Or, hard
  31. Isaiah 21:2 Or, will I make
  32. Isaiah 21:3 Hebrew bent.
  33. Isaiah 21:4 Hebrew wandereth.
  34. Isaiah 21:5 Or, spread the carpets
  35. Isaiah 21:7 Or, and he saw . . . and he hearkened
  36. Isaiah 21:7 Or, a chariot. Or, chariots
  37. Isaiah 21:7 Or, a pair of horsemen
  38. Isaiah 21:7 Or, a chariot. Or, chariots
  39. Isaiah 21:7 Or, a chariot. Or, chariots
  40. Isaiah 21:8 Or, every night
  41. Isaiah 21:9 Or, come chariots of men
  42. Isaiah 21:9 Or, a pair of horsemen
  43. Isaiah 21:10 Hebrew son.
  44. Isaiah 21:11 Or, oracle concerning
  45. Isaiah 21:11 Or, what hour
  46. Isaiah 21:11 Or, what hour
  47. Isaiah 21:12 Or, is come
  48. Isaiah 21:12 Or, come ye again
  49. Isaiah 21:13 Or, oracle
  50. Isaiah 21:13 Or, thickets
  51. Isaiah 21:14 Or, is thirsty bring ye
  52. Isaiah 21:14 Or, as otherwise read, ye inhabitants of the land of Tema, meet
  53. Isaiah 22:1 Or, oracle concerning
  54. Isaiah 22:3 Or, without the bow
  55. Isaiah 22:3 Or, that had fled from far
  56. Isaiah 22:4 Or, hasten
  57. Isaiah 22:5 Or, mountain
  58. Isaiah 22:6 Or, troops
  59. Isaiah 22:11 Or, the maker thereof
  60. Isaiah 22:14 Or, expiated by
  61. Isaiah 22:15 Or, steward
  62. Isaiah 22:17 Or, O thou strong man
  63. Isaiah 22:17 Or, lay fast hold on thee

A Prophecy Against Cush

18 Woe(A) to the land of whirring wings[a]
    along the rivers of Cush,[b](B)
which sends envoys(C) by sea
    in papyrus(D) boats over the water.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,(E)
    to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive(F) nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers.(G)

All you people of the world,(H)
    you who live on the earth,
when a banner(I) is raised on the mountains,
    you will see it,
and when a trumpet(J) sounds,
    you will hear it.
This is what the Lord says to me:
    “I will remain quiet(K) and will look on from my dwelling place,(L)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,(M)
    like a cloud of dew(N) in the heat of harvest.”
For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off(O) the shoots with pruning knives,
    and cut down and take away the spreading branches.(P)
They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey(Q)
    and to the wild animals;(R)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
    the wild animals all winter.

At that time gifts(S) will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,(T)
    from a people feared(U) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers(V)

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.(W)

A Prophecy Against Egypt

19 A prophecy(X) against Egypt:(Y)

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud(Z)
    and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
    and the hearts of the Egyptians melt(AA) with fear.

“I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
    brother will fight against brother,(AB)
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    kingdom against kingdom.(AC)
The Egyptians will lose heart,(AD)
    and I will bring their plans(AE) to nothing;(AF)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
    the mediums and the spiritists.(AG)
I will hand the Egyptians over
    to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king(AH) will rule over them,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

The waters of the river will dry up,(AI)
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry.(AJ)
The canals will stink;(AK)
    the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.(AL)
The reeds(AM) and rushes will wither,(AN)
    also the plants(AO) along the Nile,
    at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field(AP) along the Nile
    will become parched, will blow away and be no more.(AQ)
The fishermen(AR) will groan and lament,
    all who cast hooks(AS) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
    will pine away.
Those who work with combed flax(AT) will despair,
    the weavers of fine linen(AU) will lose hope.
10 The workers in cloth will be dejected,
    and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

11 The officials of Zoan(AV) are nothing but fools;
    the wise counselors(AW) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.(AX)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am one of the wise men,(AY)
    a disciple of the ancient kings”?

12 Where are your wise men(AZ) now?
    Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
    has planned(BA) against Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan(BB) have become fools,
    the leaders of Memphis(BC) are deceived;
the cornerstones(BD) of her peoples
    have led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has poured into them
    a spirit of dizziness;(BE)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
    as a drunkard staggers(BF) around in his vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do—
    head or tail, palm branch or reed.(BG)

16 In that day(BH) the Egyptians will become weaklings.(BI) They will shudder with fear(BJ) at the uplifted hand(BK) that the Lord Almighty raises against them. 17 And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified,(BL) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning(BM) against them.

18 In that day(BN) five cities(BO) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance(BP) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.[c](BQ)

19 In that day(BR) there will be an altar(BS) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,(BT) and a monument(BU) to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness(BV) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior(BW) and defender, and he will rescue(BX) them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge(BY) the Lord. They will worship(BZ) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.(CA) 22 The Lord will strike(CB) Egypt with a plague;(CC) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn(CD) to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal(CE) them.

23 In that day(CF) there will be a highway(CG) from Egypt to Assyria.(CH) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship(CI) together. 24 In that day(CJ) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,(CK) a blessing[d](CL) on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless(CM) them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people,(CN) Assyria my handiwork,(CO) and Israel my inheritance.(CP)

A Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush

20 In the year that the supreme commander,(CQ) sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod(CR) and attacked and captured it— at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz.(CS) He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth(CT) from your body and the sandals(CU) from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped(CV) and barefoot.(CW)

Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant(CX) Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years,(CY) as a sign(CZ) and portent(DA) against Egypt(DB) and Cush,[e](DC) so the king(DD) of Assyria will lead away stripped(DE) and barefoot the Egyptian captives(DF) and Cushite(DG) exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared(DH)—to Egypt’s shame.(DI) Those who trusted(DJ) in Cush(DK) and boasted in Egypt(DL) will be dismayed and put to shame.(DM) In that day(DN) the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened(DO) to those we relied on,(DP) those we fled to for help(DQ) and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?(DR)’”

A Prophecy Against Babylon

21 A prophecy(DS) against the Desert(DT) by the Sea:

Like whirlwinds(DU) sweeping through the southland,(DV)
    an invader comes from the desert,
    from a land of terror.

A dire(DW) vision has been shown to me:
    The traitor betrays,(DX) the looter takes loot.
Elam,(DY) attack! Media,(DZ) lay siege!
    I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

At this my body is racked with pain,(EA)
    pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;(EB)
I am staggered by what I hear,
    I am bewildered(EC) by what I see.
My heart(ED) falters,
    fear makes me tremble;(EE)
the twilight I longed for
    has become a horror(EF) to me.

They set the tables,
    they spread the rugs,
    they eat, they drink!(EG)
Get up, you officers,
    oil the shields!(EH)

This is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout(EI)
    and have him report what he sees.
When he sees chariots(EJ)
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,(EK)
let him be alert,
    fully alert.”

And the lookout[f](EL) shouted,

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
    every night I stay at my post.
Look, here comes a man in a chariot(EM)
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon(EN) has fallen,(EO) has fallen!
All the images of its gods(EP)
    lie shattered(EQ) on the ground!’”

10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,(ER)
    I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
    from the God of Israel.

A Prophecy Against Edom

11 A prophecy against Dumah[g]:(ES)

Someone calls to me from Seir,(ET)
    “Watchman, what is left of the night?
    Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12 The watchman replies,
    “Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
    and come back yet again.”

A Prophecy Against Arabia

13 A prophecy(EU) against Arabia:(EV)

You caravans of Dedanites,(EW)
    who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14     bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,(EX)
    bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee(EY) from the sword,(EZ)
    from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
    and from the heat of battle.

16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract(FA) would count it, all the splendor(FB) of Kedar(FC) will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.(FD)” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.(FE)

A Prophecy About Jerusalem

22 A prophecy(FF) against the Valley(FG) of Vision:(FH)

What troubles you now,
    that you have all gone up on the roofs,(FI)
you town so full of commotion,
    you city of tumult(FJ) and revelry?(FK)
Your slain(FL) were not killed by the sword,(FM)
    nor did they die in battle.
All your leaders have fled(FN) together;
    they have been captured(FO) without using the bow.
All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,
    having fled while the enemy was still far away.
Therefore I said, “Turn away from me;
    let me weep(FP) bitterly.
Do not try to console me
    over the destruction of my people.”(FQ)

The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day(FR)
    of tumult and trampling(FS) and terror(FT)
    in the Valley of Vision,(FU)
a day of battering down walls(FV)
    and of crying out to the mountains.
Elam(FW) takes up the quiver,(FX)
    with her charioteers and horses;
    Kir(FY) uncovers the shield.
Your choicest valleys(FZ) are full of chariots,
    and horsemen are posted at the city gates.(GA)

The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
    and you looked in that day(GB)
    to the weapons(GC) in the Palace of the Forest.(GD)
You saw that the walls of the City of David
    were broken through(GE) in many places;
you stored up water
    in the Lower Pool.(GF)
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
    and tore down houses(GG) to strengthen the wall.(GH)
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls(GI)
    for the water of the Old Pool,(GJ)
but you did not look to the One who made it,
    or have regard(GK) for the One who planned(GL) it long ago.

12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day(GM)
to weep(GN) and to wail,
    to tear out your hair(GO) and put on sackcloth.(GP)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,(GQ)
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!(GR)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”(GS)

14 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing:(GT) “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned(GU) for,” says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

15 This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“Go, say to this steward,
    to Shebna(GV) the palace(GW) administrator:(GX)
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
    to cut out a grave(GY) for yourself(GZ) here,
hewing your grave on the height
    and chiseling your resting place in the rock?

17 “Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you
    and hurl(HA) you away, you mighty man.
18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball
    and throw(HB) you into a large country.
There you will die
    and there the chariots(HC) you were so proud of
    will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
19 I will depose you from your office,
    and you will be ousted(HD) from your position.(HE)

20 “In that day(HF) I will summon my servant,(HG) Eliakim(HH) son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash(HI) around him and hand your authority(HJ) over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder(HK) the key(HL) to the house of David;(HM) what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.(HN) 23 I will drive him like a peg(HO) into a firm place;(HP) he will become a seat[h] of honor(HQ) for the house of his father. 24 All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.

25 “In that day,(HR)” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg(HS) driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken.(HT)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:1 Or of locusts
  2. Isaiah 18:1 That is, the upper Nile region
  3. Isaiah 19:18 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text City of Destruction
  4. Isaiah 19:24 Or Assyria, whose names will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or Assyria, who will be seen by others as blessed
  5. Isaiah 20:3 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verse 5
  6. Isaiah 21:8 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text A lion
  7. Isaiah 21:11 Dumah, a wordplay on Edom, means silence or stillness.
  8. Isaiah 22:23 Or throne